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Thank you for everything

I wanted to drop a quick post of thanks to everyone who made this past weekend so cool. I also wanted to let you know how appreciated it was for Julie to be included in the mego family. I realize it might have been awkward in some of our social settings given what happened to me last year, and I apologize if that happened to anyone. You're all family and are aware, but I also did not want anybody to feel uncomfortable in conversation around me nor did I intend for there to be a giant elephant in the room. She truly did have a good time in quite foreign and alien surroundings, so you all have my eternal gratitude.

I also wanted to share something personal that may have made me seem a bit disconnected, and perhaps I was. I'd been on medical leave for the past six weeks for stress and anxiety. I suppressed and internalized everything from the last eight months and doubled down with stresses from work and just kind of snapped. I was having panic attacks and going home at night with chest pains. I had to separate myself from the situation, and after July 11 I will be unofficially unemployed, which I've never been. So you can understand why this weekend was so important to me. I came home with more stuff this year than the past five combined and met some new, outstanding friends. I was able to reconnect with old friends and family as well, but honestly I didn't feel well at all.

However, onto happier stuff. I was truly humbled by the positive responses Ed and I received on the Eman project as well as the prototype figures we were able to debut on Saturday. We got some great feedback and maybe a couple of them get licensing approval and become a reality. It took a good long while to retain my passion for the hobby, and quite honestly I thought it was completely gone. These projects rekindled those fires.

I was blown away with Scott Arendsen's Amalgam customs. Just super vivid and bright characters and obviously a love labor. I was able to get some pretty great hi-res shots of these amazing figures.

It was truly heartwarming and therapeutic to see my extended family again. Austin and Jessica hosted us and Ed on Wednesday and there could not have been a better start to our Meet experience. Great meal, great people and great laughs. Honestly that was probably my highlight of the weekend. Best...meatballs...evar!

I'm still mentally drained from the trip yesterday and am not doing a good job communicating coherently so I'll hold off till another day. Bottom line, even though my former in-laws have disowned and abandoned me I always have you guys and gals. That is a comfort and a blessing. Thank you again.

Glad you had fun, but as much as the weekend is about having fun, I hopefully speak for a lot of people when I say since the biggest part of this weekend is being around friends, feel free to open up. I've been going through a lot before the Meet myself and one of the best things I did was open to a few people about what I had been going through. It was uplifting to me just that someone cared. In some cases I swapped stories with people and in other cases in nice to hear that others situations have improved since last year and help me in making potentially tough decisions of my own.
I also want to share this, which hopefully is icing on the cake: I had no familiarity with E-Man prior to your presentation. I say that because despite lack of knowledge about the character, that two pack was so well done, I HAD to own it and will now seek out more about the character. I think that says volumes about your work.
I hope you find yourself in better place soon!

you’re family dude, and it was a pleasure to meet Julie. I can totally relate to the stress...y’all know I’d had a pretty rough past two years, but it’s turned around...you will too. Wishing you all the best brother.

So glad we got to meet Julie. I hope she had fun... Don't loose your passion Bro there's too much talent there, I don't know if you heard me during the presentation but the words WOW kept coming out of my mouth lol... And So Glad Steve placed our table next to you and Ed. The Bronx Loves The Ax!!! Family since the beginning!!!

Brother, I can't tell you how much it meant to me to see you happy. Absolutely delighted to meet Julie and I am so glad that you are in a much better place than you have been in a long time.

it's exciting to see your creativity spark and the number of things you've surprised me with this weekend are astonishing.

and folks, Scott is the real deal, and the creative drive, the heart and the soul of our little toy co-op. Like Ringo and Garfunkel, I'm just happy to be there. He's truly an incredible talent and has been since the day we met at my first Mego Meet so many years past. I don't deserve such a great friend and partner in crime.

you haven't even seen the best that is yet to come from this magician's sleeve's either. there is stuff in the pipeline that will blow your brains clear across the room. Scott is a Visionary and an innovator and will continue to push the envelope beyond what anyone expects.

It was truly heartwarming and therapeutic to see my extended family again. Austin and Jessica hosted us and Ed on Wednesday and there could not have been a better start to our Meet experience. Great meal, great people and great laughs. Honestly that was probably my highlight of the weekend. Best...meatballs...evar!

It was as always, a pleasure seeing you and meeting Julie. Your thoughtful gift totally made my weekend as well. I am so happy that you derive comfort on that level from the Meet because it's reciprocal.